Rhonda Krouse, the code enforcement division manager for Navajo County, recently led a comprehensive presentation to address proposed changes to the local animal care and control ordinances. The presentation, aimed at updating and standardizing various aspects of the existing animal care policies, was held during a public hearing of the Navajo County Board of Supervisors where Krouse meticulously outlined the necessity for these revisions.
At the heart of the presentation was the introduction of a new, unified ordinance that seeks to replace a patchwork of previous regulations. This new ordinance is crafted to align more closely with Arizona state laws, thereby ensuring consistency and clarity in its enforcement.
Krouse, who has been in her position for three years, explained that one of her initial actions upon assuming her role was to review all existing programs and ordinances related to animal control. This review, conducted with the assistance of legal experts and the entire code enforcement team, led to the consensus that an update was urgently needed.
Krouse introduced several critical updates during her presentation. Among these were clearer definitions of terms such as ‘aggressive’ and ‘attack’, which now include behaviors like growling and showing teeth, rather than just physical contact. This change aims to allow for earlier intervention by animal control officers before an animal bite occurs, thus enhancing public safety. She highlighted the importance of this change: “For the aggressive one, we change vicious to aggressive pursuant to ARS Statute 11-1401. For attack, many people interpret the word attack as a physical altercation with an animal. And this is clearly defined as, it does not mean that the animal actually has to physically come in contact with you.”
Additionally, Krouse outlined significant revisions to the fee schedule to better reflect operational needs and increased costs from inflation. Changes include the increase of fees for altered male and female animals from $5 to $10, and for unaltered males and females from $15 to $25. The fee for dogs at large will range from $125 to $225 to address the high volume of such cases and their community impact. Kennel permits for 10-20 dogs per year will see an increase from $75 to $200, aimed at managing larger animal populations more effectively.
The presentation was not just a formal procedure but also an interactive session that allowed for community feedback. Members of the public raised concerns and sought clarifications on several points, such as the implications for farm dogs and the specifics of the leash laws. Krouse and her team responded to these inquiries, emphasizing their goal of educating the public and fostering a harmonious coexistence between the county’s human and animal residents.
In other business the board:
*Approved an amendment to a contract with Ex2 technology contract for design, construction, maintenance and marketing of fiber optic infrastructure, the contract changes some of the scope of work but it’s predicted to result in a net savings to the county.
*Approved use of the southwest corner of the county complex to be used for the annual Fourth of July fireworks display.
* Approved the Family Counseling Grant budget with a county match of $2,953.
* Approved contract extension for legal services for the public defender services with the Law Office of Michael S. Penrod, PLLC for one additional year.
* Approved the road closure of Bourdon Ranch Rd. for 28 days for the reconstruction of the new culver at the Millet Swale drainage crossing.
* Approved requests for redemption of tax waivers.
* Approved a memorandum of understanding between the superintendent of schools and the sheriff’s department for the method of delivery of jail education program.
*Approved a contract extension with CRM of America, LLC for the hauling of waste tires by one year.
* Approved an extension of the revolving credit agreement for the county and its districts with Wells Fargo Bank.
* Approved an update to the employee personal leave policy increasing it from 24 to 32 hours.
* Approved a new policy to comply with audits to require travel fuel receipts for fuel purchased at non-county owned fueling sites.
*Approved an increase in the Justice Court Staffing Fee from $30 to $45.
* Approved a memorandum of understanding with the Institute of Intergovernmental Research for use of their RedCap data system.
*Approved a land purchase agreement for additional right-of-way along Bourdon Ranch Road for drainage purposes.
* Approved a policy for the removal of motor vehicles, trailers, and storage containers from county-maintained rights-of-way during snow season and for the enforcement of parking restrictions by issuance of citations and/or towing.
* Approved a zone change from R-2 to Commercial-Residential (C-R) on an approximately 0.33-acre portion of an approximately 2.28-acre parcel, located in Lakeside, along Rainbow Lake Drive.
* Approved a special use permit for an RV park, located in Lakeside, along Rainbow Lake Drive, to expand 28 spaces.
* Accepted five easements and the purchase of two additional easements for over and across real property along Bourdon Ranch Road to mitigate issues with the failure of Millet Swale Dam. The county has almost all materials necessary to complete the project, the project will cost $780 in additional materials.
The next meeting of the Navajo County Board of Supervisors will be held at 9 a.m. on Tuesday, July 9, in the board chambers located at 100 E. Code Talkers Drive.
